Lubricating system and apparatus



Jan. 16, 1923.

J. w. PETERSON ET AL. LUBRICATING SYSTEM AND APPARATUS.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l- -FILED FEB-4.1921.

21 INVENTORSH ATTbRNEYs.

Jan. 16, 1923. s

.l. W. PETERSON ET AL. LUBRICATING SYSTEM-AND APPARATUS.

2 'suzns-snzn 2.

FILED FEB-4,1921.

INVENTORS,

ATTORNEYS,

Jan: 16, 1923..

U NIT ED I 311a! 5 1 Jenn WILLIAM rnrnnson ram-1.0m L. svmnnnne, or fnrnwi-iunnn, Wisconsin,

ASSIG NORS 'iO 'i'HE RICHABDSON-PHENIX CORPORATION OF "WISCONSIN.

nc-snronrrne srs'rnra annarrenar osf Application filed February 4, 19 21. Seria1 No.-442,354.i

T 0 all whom it may come M2.

Be it known that we, doi-irnil inmaar Pnrnnson and Fro-In L. SWnNssnc, citizens.

of the United States. residing a Milwaukee,

in the county Milwaukee and State of."

operation of lubricating; systems and apps-y ratus 1n the manner to. be hereinafter de scribedand claimed. Referrlng to the drawings whlchaccompany this specification and form a part! hereof, which drawings illustrate an embodi ment ofthis invention, and on which drawings thesame reference characters are used to designate the same parts wherever they may appear in each of the several views,

Fig. l is an elevation. a part being;- broken away, of a steam turbine with the-lubricating system and apparatus; Fig.2 is a vertical section of part of the apparatus of the lubricating system, the section being taken on the line 22 on Fig. 3. looking in the direction indicated by the arrows; and Fig. 3 is a horizontal section of the apparatus shown by Fig. 2, the section being taken on the-line 33 on Fig. 2, looking} in the direction indicated by the arrows.

Referring to the drawings, the/reference numeral 1 designates a steam turbine and some associated adjuncts as an apparatus or mechanism to be lubricated. The steam turbine requires no description other than that it is provided with an oil or lubricant reservoir 9., "a pump 3, and conduits or pipes through which the lubricant is pumped from the reservoir 2 cated. The lubricant is returned from the parts to be lubricated to the reservoir 2 and is thus used over and over again in a well known manner. Lubricant used in this manner becomes unfit for lubricating purposes mixed with the lubricant, as well as solid impurities; air is mixed with the lubricant andv the lubricant is otherwise affected in ways that it is not necessary to discuss at to variousparts to be lubrifor several reasons. Water becomes length here. i the lubricant loan be 'plgbps:

erly purified before it has broken down or 00., or MILWeUKE-E; WISCONSIN, a

undergone too much physical or chemical change, its lubricating qualities can be .retained for apparently an indefinite period, and the .o'biect of thisinvention is to provide a system and apparatus by means of which the lubricant can be (properly purified withou interfering withv the lubricationv of the apparatus to be lubricated. ltis of the utmost lmportance' that certain apparatus be operated,continuously and for an indefinite period and a steam turbine has 'beenhse v lected as an example of such apparatus i Sometimes thousands of gallons of labia-- cant are 7 contained in theljlubricating system purify the entirefbodyof lubricant at one,

operation as, for. example,by compelling; the

entirebody of lubricant, 1n its circulation,

to pass through a Y purifyingapparatus,l for failure of the, purifyingapparatus ,would endanger the apparatus to be lubricated,

and, with most purifying apparatus and processes, some considerable time is; required for the purification One object ofthis in-I uentionis,therefore, to withdraw-a part of w the lubricant for purification without inter fearing with the lubrication of the apparatus to be lubricated and another object of this invention is to provide apparatus by means of which the first objectcan be accomplished. It will be noted, as this description proceeds, that the operation consists in removin}; a fractional parto'f the lubricant, puritying that fractional part of the lubricant and returning it to'tlie main body. of the lubricant,'and continually repeating this oporation. With such a cycle of'operation,

the average result will be that the entire i body of lubricant will be purified and kept purified at all times to such a degree that its lubricating qualities will not become impaired.

.An embodiment of the invention is illus-.

t'rated by thedrawings and the normal, predetermined level of the lubricant 4 in the reservoir 2 is clearly shown by Fig. 1 of the drawings. 'This predetermined lubricant level is maintained so that by no posj sibility can the apparatus to be lubricatedbe deprived. of its lubricant. Lubricant in excess of the quantityrequired to maintain 4 the predetermined-level of lubricant can be 70" of such anapparatusait isimpracticable,to -1;

removed for purification. The drawings illustrate the removal of the excess lubricant by gravity: the lubricant flowing from the, reservoir 2- through the pipe 5, overflowing into the basin 6, and thence flowing to the purifier through the pipe 8. A bypass pipe 9, provided with a valve 10, permite all of the lubricant from the apparatus to be lubricated to be run to the purifier 7 in case it is deemed necessary or advisable. The lubricant may be'liltered or physically or chemically treated or purified in any manner in the purifier 7 and is then returned to the apparatus to be lubricated. by a pump 11 connected with pipes 12 and 13. Additional lubricant can be supplied through the receptacle 1i and pipe 15. As a matter of convenience in manufacturing, a part of the pipe 5, which is designated by the reference numeral 16, is made as a separate piece and secured to the bottom of the basin 6 and its upper end is placed at the level to be maintained by the lubricant in the reservoir 2 and where it can be seen through a glass cylinder 17 so that the flow of the lubrlcant can be readily observed. A cover 18 which is provided with air vent apertures 19 is secured by tie rods 20 to the basin 6 and the tie rods 20 hold the packing 21, the glass cylinder 17 and the cover 18 in assembled relation. The air vent apertures l9,'by subjecting pipes 5 and 8 to atmospheric pressure, avoid the possibility or a siphoning action which might with-.

draw lubricant from the reservoir 2.

The construction and operation of the system'and apparatus will be readily understood from the foregoing description. The

excess lubricant in the reservoir 2 above the predetermined level which 1s determined by the upper end of the pipe 5, or its part 16,

tion with a basin, of inlet and outlet pipes,

one of said pipes extending up into the basin to determine an overflow level, a cover and a transparent member, an air vent aperture being provided to avoid the possibility of a siphoning action.

2. The combination in a lubricating system, of an apparatus to be lubricated provided with. a lubricant reservoir and a circulating punipfor the lubricant, a lubricant purifier, means for returning lubricant from the lubricant purifier to the apparatus to be lubricated, a basin, a transparent member and a cover secured to the top of said basin with an air vent aperture above the transparent member, pipe members leading from the bottom of the lubricant reservoir downwardly and thence upwardly within said basin, and a pipe connection from the bottom of Said basin to the lubricant purifier.

In Witness Whereot' We hereto afiix our signatures.

J GHN WILLIAM PETERSON. FLOYD 'L, SWANBERG. 

